Get Your Students Hired
What would it be like it you questioned more local news, wrote more commentaries to newspapers, called more radio stations and asked them questions on their "facts?"
Hi Everett, Thanks for your post to the forum. I teach Critical Thinking to first semester students. It teaches them to ask the questions that you mention - very important! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I believe in teaching students how to teach themselves. I agree with Socrates in his methodologies. i actually just used this method yesterday and made reference to something that i was taught and it made sense to me. the phrase i am referring to is teach a man how to fish instead of giving him a fish. i was also taught by a high school history teacher that basically you should question everything and ask yourself who what when where why about everything !
Sometimes when you (as the student) are put on the spot to come up with questions (as opposed to being force fed content lecture style) the role reverses and a pardigm shift happens...the student now is teahing themselves and in some case teahing the instructor (on different point of views)!
Hi Tracy, thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, moving students to use critical thinking is essential. Best wishes for an excellent July quarter!
Susan Polick
The use of questioning helps students become self-directed learners by pulling them into the problem with their own personalized reasoning of the answer to a question, which can then precipitate more questions regarding the content matter being discussed.
The goal for excellent instruction is student engagement with the material. If students gain an interest in the subject and personalize the material the instructor has effectively taken the student from their "zone of proximal development" to the next level of learning.
With my students, some pick and choose when they want to participate. By asking questions in a way that encourages participation, they think about how to apply what they are learning to the career they are working toward. Questions add to the discussion and encourage students to debate their own assumptions. They apply the knowledge they have to bring new information to the class.
Hi Adam, That is a good point. We should use questioning not only to assess what our students know, but also to use as a step by step learning tool as you suggest. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
By using questioning, you can show students how to approach a new concept (or one that is not well understood) using a step-wise approach.
Hi Thomas, Thanks for your post to the forum. That is a great way to get students more involved in their learning! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Sometimes I will ask a question that I know they don't know the answer to. Instead of telling them the answer that day I may ask them to think about it over night, do research if necessary, and then return tomorrow with their best guess. After they share their answers I will tell them if they are correct or not.
Through questioning it is possible to assess students' comprehension, also when students participate it reinforces their knowledge and increases their confidence. Over time students become self-directed learners.
Answering questions may help a student become a self-directed learner in the sense of critical thinking, looking at different ways to answer the question, the student may learn that they actually know the answer to that particular question.
Hi Lindsey, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, when we use questioning effectively, we get students to use critical thinking skills that will be valuable in their careers. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
By actively using their knowledge base to formulate an answer, the student becomes more engaged and gratified by the learning experience.
With the use of questioning, the roles are shifted and the student becomes an active instructor. When you questioned students, they are required to think about the posed problem and recall information to create a solution. The student then accepts the role of instructing their own thought process and teaching their own self on the matter.
It may serve to prepare for all types of learners to greater understand their point of view.
Hi Bethanne, Thanks for your post to the forum. Great examples of active learning through questioning. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick